Key+Community+Needs

= Three Key Community Needs =

>>>> >>>> That compares with recent measures of 22.7 per 100,000 people in Bogota, Colombia’s capital, and 14 per 100,000 in Sao Paulo , Brazil’s largest city. As Mr. Chávez’s government often points out, Venezuela’s crime problem did not emerge overnight, and the concern over murders preceded his rise to power. >>>> >>>> But scholars here describe the climb in homicides in the past decade as unprecedented in Venezuelan history; the number of homicides last year was more than three times higher than when Mr. Chávez was elected in 1998. >>>> Reasons for the surge are complex and varied, experts say. While many Latin American economies are growing fast, Venezuela’s has continued to shrink. The gap between rich and poor remains wide, despite spending on anti-poverty programs, fueling resentment. Adding to that, the nation is awash in millions of illegal firearms. >>>> >>>> Police salaries remain low, sapping motivation. And in a country with the highest inflation rate in the hemisphere, more than 30 percent a year, some officers have turned to supplementing their incomes with crimes like kidnappings. >>>> But some crime specialists say another factor has to be considered: Mr. Chávez’s government itself. The judicial system has grown increasingly politicized, losing independent judges and aligning itself more closely with Mr. Chávez’s political movement. Many experienced state employees have had to leave public service, or even the country. >>>> >>>> More than 90 percent of murder go unsolved, without a single arrest, Mr. Briceño-León said. But cases against Mr. Chavez’s critics — including judges, dissident generals and media executives — are increasingly common. >>>> Henrique Capriles, the governor of Miranda, a state encompassing parts of Caracas, told reporters last week that Mr. Chávez had worsened the homicide problem by cutting money for state and city governments led by political opponents and then removing thousands of guns from their police forces after losing regional elections. >>>> >>>> But the government says it is trying to address the problem. It recently created a security force, the Bolivarian National Police, and a new Experimental Security University where police recruits get training from advisers from Cuba and Nicaragua. two allies that have historically maintained murder rates among Latin America’s lowest. >>>> The national police’s overriding priority, said Víctor Díaz, a senior official on the force and an administrator at the new university, is “unrestricted respect for human rights.” >>>> >>>> “I’m not saying we’ll be weak,” he said, “but the idea is to use dialogue and dissuasion as methods of verbal control when approaching problems.” >>>> >>>> Senior officials in Mr. Chávez’s government say the deployment of the national police, whose ranks number fewer than 2,500, has succeeded in reducing homicides in at least one violent area of Caracas where they began patrolling this year. >>>> >>>> Still, human rights groups suggest the new policing efforts have been far too timid."
 * Three Community Needs
 * **Reduce the number of cases involving infectious and parasitic Illnesses**
 * In the Distrito Capital, death as a result of infectious and parasitic illnesses accounted for 44.9% of total deaths in the year 2007
 * Source: (// Salud: Distrito Capital. Principales causas de muerte registradas por sexo e indicadores, segun grado de previnibilidad, 2007.) //
 * In 2008 in the state of Miranda, 18.4% of illnesses reported were related to diarrhea in children under the age of 5; in addition, 16.1% of reported illnesses were attributed to diarrhea in those over the age of 5
 * Source: (// Salud: Estado Miranda. Enfermedaded de notificacion reportada por anos de occurrencia, segun tipo de enferedad, 2001-2008) //
 * In the Distrito Capital in 2009, 53.7% of illnesses reported were related to diarrhea in children under the age of 5, with an additional 18.1% of reported illness being related to diarrhea in those over 5 years of age
 * Source// : (Salud: Distrito Capital. //// Enfermedaded de notificacion reportada por anos de occurrencia, segun tipo de enferedad, 2001-2008) //
 * As a nurse working with the community, I could speak with individual apartment councils about the need for providing each apartment home with a water purifier. I could also talk with the mayors’ offices/alcaldias about the need for installing large water tanks in the shantytowns/barrios in order for these people to have more frequent access to water. I could also encourage nurses at many of the existing clinics to instruct their patients about the need of boiling their water to purify it if they do not have access to a purifier or pure water. These clinics would be a great way to reach out to the people of the shantytowns because they attract multitudes of people since they offer free health care.
 * **Provide safety in Caracas by reducing the enormous amount of violence**
 * According to a study done in 2007, violent deaths were categorized as one of the principle causes of death in Caracas.
 * In the state of Miranda, 15.1% of deaths were recorded as violent deaths
 * Source: // (Salud: Estado Miranda. Principales causas de muerte registradas por sexo e indicadores, segun grado de previnibilidad, 2007.) //
 * In the Federal District the percentage was even higher at 33.4%
 * Source: (// Salud: Distrito Capital. Principales causas de muerte registradas por sexo e indicadores, segun grado de previnibilidad, 2007.) //
 * Addressing the issue
 * Caracas has a murder rate of 233/100,000 inhabitants, and as a result, in 2008 Caracas was ranked as the world's number 1 murder capital. Venezuela has a murder rate of 160/100,000 inhabitants, and in 2006, there were over 34 murders per day.
 * "Caracas itself is almost unrivaled among large cities in the Americas for its homicide rate, which currently stands at around 200 per 100,000 inhabitants, according to Roberto Briceño-León, the sociologist at the Central University of Venezuela who directs the violence observatory.
 * Source: Romero
 * "Gang warfare killed 14,000 people last year (2010) alone in Caracas."
 * Source: Smith
 * **Prevent perinatal disorders and congenital anomalies by educating young women, especially pregnant adolescents, about prenatal care and educate to prevent teen pregnancies.**
 * In the Federal District, perinatal disorders account for 84.1% of deaths among children less than 5 years of age, while congenital anomalies account for 91.1% of deaths in this same age group
 * Source:// Salud: Distrito Capital. Principales causas de muerte en menores de cinco anos, e indicadores, segun grado de prevenibilidad, 2007 //
 * In the state of Miranda, perinatal disorders account for 35.9% of deaths among children less than 5 years of age, while congenital anomalies account for 18.7% of deaths
 * Source: // Salud: Miranda. Principales causas de muerte en menores de cinco anos, e indicadores, segun grado de prevenibilidad, 2007 //
 * In 2008, there were a total of 1440 adolescent pregnancies in Caracas. Between 2004-2008, the age group with the highest number of adolescent pregnancies was the 17-19 year old group at 43.8%. The education system is divided into primary, middle, and superior levels of education and the majority (32.1%) of pregnant adolescents did not complete the middle level of education. In Venezuela, 21% of live births occur between 15-19 years of age, and the poor and less educated adolescents are 4 times more likely to become pregnant.
 * I believe that because a majority of these adolescent pregnant women do not even complete the middle level of education, their lack of knowledge prevents them from receiving or attaining information about maintaining proper health during pregnancy which ultimately affects the health of the baby. When the less educated are 4 times more likely to become pregnant, more learning opportunities are necessary for the health protection of the mother and the baby. The poor are also 4 times more likely to become pregnant, and they may not have access to the best health care or education
 * Addressing the issue:
 * "In Caracas, between 13-15% of all pregnancies are teen pregnancies. This means that each year more than 20,000 babies are born to mothers who are younger than 19 years of age. Freddy Febres, Center Coordinator in Venezuela Health and Latin American Women (CELSAM) says that if you count abortions it would be around 20% in women who become pregnant before the age of twenty. The number of mothers between ages 11 and 19 is close to 80,000 in the entire metropolitan area, and most of them belong to the lower strata of society. These young women come from poor families and they are needed to support their poor families not only in resources but also in education, but while pregnant, they cannot provide these. In Caracas, however, there are not too many foundations working with teenage mothers, and among those that do exist, they can only accept 300 mothers into their program at one time. The Civil Partnership Child Mother has been working since 1990, providing psychosocial support, pediatrics and a job training course. The director Gladys Madrid warned that the age of sexual initiation is becoming younger, and the lack of education in Caracas is creating a public health problem and a serious multiplier of poverty. Elaine Rubio directs one of the three houses that Caracas Foundation for Children founded to address the problem of adolescent mothers. Rubio states, "Rather than do other local projects of this kind, I think the government should work much more on prevention. The demand has grown enormously since 2005 and we must attack the root." Febres believes that sex education should be mandatory for all boys and girls between 9 and 11. And that, he adds, is a state responsibility. Manuel Arias, who coordinated the project Mother (Ministry of Health) for three months, says that besides the social problems generated by teenage pregnancy, they also pose a biological hazard: a pregnant woman with 14 years of age is three times more likely to die than a 25 year old woman. Febres supplements this data with another: the mortality of children is 30 times greater. But the worst is the vicious cycle that is generated: "Those with less education tend to become pregnant at a young age and there is a good chance that their children will repeat this pattern and again early pregnancy will prevent them from being educated, generating an unbroken chain of ignorance and misery.” The ministries of Health and Education are ensuring the public that they have plans to implement sex-education programs, but first they need to reeducate teachers because they have never received such training before."
 * Source: Brassesco

__References:__
Brassesco, J. (2008, October). //Hay 80 mil madres adolescentes//. Retrieved November 6, 2011, from []

Gobierno Bolivariano de Venezuela. (2008). // Salud: Distrito Capital. //// Enfermedaded de notificacion reportada por anos de occurrencia, segun tipo de enferedad, 2001-2008 ////. //Retrieved September 18, 2011, from the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela website: [|http://www.ocei.gov.ve/ine/sintesisestadistica2009/estados/distritocapital/index.htm]

Gobierno Bolivariano de Venezuela. (2008). // Salud: Distrito Capital. Principales causas de muerte en menores de cinco anos, e indicadores, segun grado de prevenibilidad, 2007. //Retrieved September 18, 2011, from the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela website: __ [] __

Gobierno Bolivariano de Venezuela. (2008). // Salud: Distrito Capital. Principales causas de muerte registradas por sexo e indicadores, segun grado de previnibilidad, 2007. //Retrieved September 18, 2011, from the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela website: __ [] __

Gobierno Bolivariano de Venezuela. (2008). // Salud: Miranda. //// Enfermedaded de notificacion reportada por anos de occurrencia, segun tipo de enferedad, 2001-2008 ////. //Retrieved September 18, 2011, from the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela website: []

Gobierno Bolivariano de Venezuela. (2008). // Salud: Miranda. Principales causas de muerte en menores de cinco anos, e indicadores, segun grado de prevenibilidad, 2007. //Retrieved September 18, 2011, from the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela website: __ [|http://www.ocei.gov.ve/ine/sintesisestadistica2009/estados/miranda/index.htm] __

Gobierno Bolivariano de Venezuela. (2008). // Salud: Estado Miranda. Principales causas de muerte registradas por sexo e indicadores, segun grado de previnibilidad, 2007. //Retrieved September 18, 2011, from the Instituto Nacional de Estadistica Republica Bolivariana de Venezuela website: __ [|http://www.ocei.gov.ve/ine/sintesisestadistica2009/estados/miranda/index.htm] __

Romero, S. (2010, August). // Venezuela, more deadly than Iraq, wonders why //. Retrieved September 18, 2011, from The New York Times website: __ [] __

Smith, S. (2011, March). //Gang violence in Caracas--in pictures//. Retrieved November 4, 2011, from []